A Father from Nantwich has been commended for his bravery after intervening in a jewellery shop robbery in London.

At a prestigious ceremony held in London, Richard Whitehouse, who lives in Nantwich but works in the city, was awarded the Sheriff’s Award for Bravery Certificate of Commendation, which recognises and honours individuals who have shown courage and initiative in protecting people or liberty.

Richard, 46, a security consultant who lives in Nantwich, received the award after he was nominated by the Metropolitan Police following his heroic intervention in a robbery in January this year, which led to a suspect being detained.

His citation states that on January 5 this year, five suspects arrived on three motorbikes at Suttons and Robertsons Jewellers in Victoria Street, Westminster, armed with hammers and axes.

The citation reads: “Mr Richard Whitehouse was window-shopping and witnessed the suspects smash their way into the jewellers through the closed front door. He began to observe the events looking for an opportunity to intervene. During this time the suspects were aware of his presence and began threatening to harm him with an axe.

“Upon the sound of an approaching police siren the suspects attempted to flee the scene and four suspects on two of the bikes made off. The fifth suspect left the shop and swung the axe at Mr Whitehouse as he tried to approach him.

“A substance, believed to be ammonia, was squirted at Mr Whitehouse and he turned his face away to protect himself. At this point Mr Whitehouse turned to the suspect, grabbed him, tackled him off the moped and pinned him to the ground. Another unidentified member of the public assisted him whilst waiting for police to attend.

“During the incident Mr Whitehouse sustained a slight injury to his knee. Without his bravery and instinctive effort the suspect would have fled the scene prior to the arrival of police. One suspect was arrested and charged with robbery and enquiries were instigated to trace the other four suspects.”

Richard, an ex-soldier, was also commended with a gold medal during the 2017 Police Public Bravery Awards for his intervention in the robbery.

Richard said: “It’s humbling to be recognised with these awards as I don’t feel like I’ve done anything special, but I’m very grateful to have been able to make a difference.”

This is not the first time Richard has been lauded for his courage, having received the Chief Constable’s Commendation from Cheshire Constabulary in July 2014 after chasing a suspected arsonist during an incident in Kelsall, leading to the defendant being convicted.